Los Islenos Museum & Village

Spanish colonists from the Canary Islands came to Louisiana between 1778 and 1783 to populate Louisiana and halt British colonial expansion west of the Mississippi River. The Canary Islanders called themselves Islenos or Islanders, a tradition that continues to this day. The Isleno contributions to Louisiana are undeniable and can be explored at the Museum & Village, the last vestige of Spanish Colonial Louisiana. The Museum and Village is managed by Los Islenos Heritage & Cultural Society, made up of decendents of the original settlers. The village consists of nine structures on roughly 22 acres including The Coconut Island Barroom, a 1920 cypress board and batten structure, the Estopinal House and kitchen, a mud and moss between posts structure built by the Spanish Government in 1790, the Esteves and Caserta/Cresap houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a replica trapper's cabin. The museum is housed in a replica 19th century Creole cottage constructed in 1840. Exhibits interpert the historical and cultural presence of the Islenos in the Canaries and in St. Bernard. Additionally on the grounds is the Ducros Museum, built before 1800 by an Isleno Colonist, which houses changing exhibits and museum documents. There is a $5 charge for guided tours of the Islenos Museum.